In the foyer of an old house, a winged mare stands, visibly perplexed. In a loose ring around her, other Serians are gathered. Discomfort and tension fill the air, and she slowly circles around looking at the present Serians with pleading eyes. Finally, she stomps a hoof and shakes her mane in agitation.

"Someone here must know something, must have seen something!" Tears fall quietly down her face, as she looks to the first figure to arrive through the doors. Ignoring the awkward Serians in the room, she strides directly towards the main entrance.

"Thank goodness you came, I'm sorry to have sent out so many summons but... Tigs told me you all might be able to help." She comes ever closer, trying to hide her voice from the others out of embarrassment or the need for secrecy.

"Recently my mate has been going out late in the evenings, and he's been cold to me when he's actually here. We're staying in this house to clean and help renovate... though as you see we haven't gotten very far. It's been hard to focus..." Her nose wrinkles as she looks at the dust and cobweb-filled corners. Taking a deep breath, she continues.

"I suspect another mare. Either from our herd or outside, I can't be sure, since they often meet outside this mansion or so I believe. Nobody is willing to talk to me, I guess they want to protect him or think I would take my anger out on them if they speak." Another shake of her head is given before letting out an exasperated breath.

"I can't do anything now, there's nothing more for me to say. I have no information to speak of, just that when I wake up, he's not there. And I can never find him in the house." Her body looks weary and her eyes seem puffy from a lack of sleep and crying. "I'll be upstairs in the biggest room, resting. My mate is gone, yet again, so he won't be much help..." She seems nervous at this part, though quickly tries to hide it. "If you know what's going on, please come tell me. I'll try to reward you as best I can for your help."

With that, she leaves, and various Serians turn to watch her, or ignore her completely. Now it's up to you to choose who to talk to.

----Okay guys! I decided to do the first one by myself to see how easy it will be, since having other Serians involved means I have to communicate directions and responses a lot more. If I can keep on top of this no problem, then I'll invite some guest characters in for the second one. The third one will be featuring Vision, so Talia will be working with me .

The layout is a typical haunted mansion, the lobby is a large square with a main staircase taking up most of the center and going to a second floor which is basically an open hallway around the perimeter of the room, leading to the second floor doors. It's easy to see above from the ground floor and vice-versa, though most interactions will take place on the main floor.

To the right of the staircase, Chaos is standing near Tinsel. A bit farther from them, closer to the main doors, Ash stands alone. On the left side, near the staircase, Harvest stands alone. Close to her, but not together, Sylph stands alone. Close to the left side of the entrance, Confusion stands alone and perhaps overheard the conversation.

You may only directly address one Serian at a time. They will give you information, or possibly not. If they don't give you information, it's either because you need to pester them once more (for another 'turn'), or because they have nothing else to say. It's 50/50. Some Serians have relevant information, others have completely misinterpreted or irrelevant information. You can stop talking to a Serian and choose a different Serian at any time. You cannot overhear the conversations going on around you, and must react ICly as if you have no idea what anyone else knows. Because there is one prize, no working in pairs please .

The game will end when someone discovers what happened/who is involved. It might be a romance... it might be something darker . If you have a feeling about what happened but aren't 100% sure, you CAN go to Teardrop to say what you think happened. If you are right, you win. If you are wrong, you are unable to go back and continue since Teardrop will think you're not a good sleuth . It is a bit of a speed game, since the first person to go to her will win, but if you're hasty and mess up you won't get a second guess! Choose carefully~

Shadowstar, sometimes known as Wynter, gazed at the serians gathered with a scrutinizing eye. When her gaze landed on the dark gray mare with purple highlights, she immediately felt suspicious. She had a gut feeling that she knew something. Even if it wasn't important, she was pretty sure this mare knew something about what was going on. And she intended to find out what. So, with her head high in confidence, she walked up to Ash. Good evening. If you have any information about the weepy one's mate, now would be the time to tell she said in her midnight voice. She stood with her ears forward in both interest and invitation, and her stance alert, but welcoming. She was showing that she meant business, but she wouldn't jump on her and immediately start making accusations without giving the mare a chance to finish a sentence. She would listen with an open mind and hear what had to be said.

She still wasn't exactly sure why she was here. She had heard that something was wrong with this mare, and was sent to investigate by her bonded. When questioned, the bat had only replied 'I think you'll be good at it.' Sometimes, the bat puzzled her. She would have protested much harder if she had known she would have to deal with a damsel in distress that has bad taste in stallions. But, she was here now, so she had to do what she could. And, if worse comes to worse, she can flick the bat and say 'never again!'

Ash watched the first would-be super sleuth approach with a narrowed gaze. She didn't even want to be part of this, though she had delighted in all the chaos that had been going on. Trying to catch a glimpse had been difficult, as Teardrop's mate was a sneaky stallion and often disappeared. She knew a bit, based on hearing and not seeing. But if one could interpret it, maybe it was useful?

Ash knew what the question would be before it came, however the haughtyness was most unwelcome. Rolling her eyes, she responded. "With an attitude like that, how can I refuse?" Sarcasm dripped off every word. However, if she didn't reply, the stubborn one would get suspicious. Better toss the dog a bone...

"I heard an argument, if you must know."

[You may continue pestering Ash, or move onto another Serian . Each 'turn' (reply) has the potential to yield more information or it might be the end of their helpfulness. This is NOT connected to whether they like you or not, they will speak what I've designated for that 'turn' regardless of their personal feelings XD. Since some of my Serians are snarkier than others -cough Ash cough-]

Shadowstar's eyes narrowed at the sarcasm in her voice, but she bit back her retort. Making the insolent mare mad wouldn't convince her to give out information. An argument? Depending on what was said and who the speakers were, this could be useful. She gave the mare an easy smile, a gesture she hoped would relax her, and asked Do you remember what was said? Or who the speakers were? Every little nugget of information counted.

Traveler thought she give this detect thing a go. She was great at being undetected herself and no doubt what was going on here she may have insight to what they may do to hide one's self or actions. She considered herself a good tracker, so tracking a mystery sounded great fun and a challenge. She also felt bad for the mare and wished to help her if she could.

She looked around the room and took note of how each serian was acting and their proximity to where she and Teardrop where. So she figured out where to start and also got her second idea ready.

The green mare walked over to the blue mare, Confusion was her name, which maybe might even give an inkling of the validity of what she may learn from there mare. Then again can't judge a book my its cover, but its where she decided to start.

Hello, I am Traveler and I am here to help Teardrop find out what is going on. Do you know her mate personally? If so, what is he like? If not have you seen anything you say is odd involving him or Teardrop? She watched the mare carefully, anything could be a clue.

She also was thinking in the back of her mind, she come a bit in her way of confidence, however this was in her field in a way.

Ash stared unblinkingly at the other mare, waiting for more overconfidence. When it didn't come, Ash decided to reward her sudden politeness by thinking a little more on what she remembered of that night. She hadn't gotten the best view, but...

"Well, I didn't see anyone per se. I was listening through the doors, and I definitely made out two male voices." Yep, that had been the weird part for her too.

-----

Confusion had slunk back from eavesdropping a bit, but knew she'd be spotted. Were they annoyed? She scratched the floor nervously with a hoof as Traveler approached. Oh no, stop that! She was looking totally suspicious. The mare's voice was even and almost kind, it should have helped make Confusion more relaxed but she felt it was because the mare was trying to coax her. She was starting to freak out a bit.